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Don't get him wrong. Bill O'Brien really is focused on Wisconsin and his team's season finale on Saturday.

But when asked his thoughts on where he believed the Penn State program sits after his second season at the helm, the Nittany Lions' head coach had no qualms about addressing the future.

O'Brien said Tuesday that he believes the program remains on course, even with the prospect of a 6-6 season looming should Penn State not be able to upset the No. 15 Badgers on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.

Winning or losing that game, he insisted, isn't something that will just help to define the present.

"The reason we're focused on Wisconsin has a little bit to do with the future," O'Brien said during his weekly press conference. "We want to, again, have another chance to send these seniors out on a winning note, and that is really important. But it's also a chance for our younger players who are coming back next year, our younger and veteran players who are coming back next year, to go out there against a very good football team and play well. So it's an important game for that."

O'Brien conceded that parts of the 2013 campaign could be considered disappointing. Certainly, the fact the Nittany Lions lost control of several close games late - namely against Central Florida, Indiana, Minnesota and last week against Nebraska in the Beaver Stadium finale - and were tagged with disappointing losses.

But he said there were just as many positives that needed to be stressed.

He said recruiting has gone as well as could be expected, adding that he didn't count anybody from the 2013 class as a "bust" yet. The Nittany Lions were able to develop a true freshman quarterback, Christian Hackenberg, and keep him healthy. They were also able to get valuable playing time for second-year players like cornerback Jordan Lucas and former Wyoming Valley West star Eugene Lewis, experience that could accelerate their development.

"Look, I'm not going to get into predictions or anything like that," O'Brien concluded. "But I think our program, with the two-year sanctions that we've been under and things like that, with the limited amount of guys we could offer and guy that's left the program, I think our program stands on pretty solid ground right now."

Decisions to make

Despite kickoffs being returned for touchdowns by Purdue and Nebraska in each of the last two weeks against Penn State's walk-on-laden kickoff coverage unit, O'Brien said he doesn't expect personnel changes on special teams this week against Wisconsin.

That doesn't mean, however, that he didn't consider it.

"I just wanted to go back and look and see if we could make some improvements maybe by looking at the personnel there," O'Brien said. "But I think what happens is, right now you've got to make a decision on whether to put a starter on that team or go with a back-up player and try to coach them better and put them in better spots to make those plays. So that's what we're doing.

"I don't see any major changes personnel-wise on those special teams."

On the Lions' kickoff coverage units the last two weeks, there were only two players who came to Penn State on scholarship. One is true freshman Jordan Smith. The other is the kicker, Sam Ficken.

Pitch count

O'Brien said that, with the season winding down, he has had to monitor Hackenberg in practice to make sure he wasn't overusing his right throwing arm.

As the season has progressed, backup Tyler Ferguson has been getting a few more repetitions in practice just to give Hackenberg a bit of a rest.

"That's mostly because he's a young guy," O'Brien said. "His body is still developing, his shoulder muscles, his triceps muscles, his biceps muscles. You've got to be careful there with a guy that's 18. It's totally different than with a guy who is 34, 33.

"Christian gets most of the reps. But that is one thing he and I talk about all the time is how to take care of your arm after practice, before practice, things like that."

Huge underdogs

Las Vegas oddsmakers have installed Wisconsin as a 24-point favorite to win Saturday's game, a number a Penn State opponent hasn't seen in ages. If ever.

O'Brien said he figured the Nittany Lions would be underdogs, but added that he pays little attention to what comes from the gambling sector.

Why? Because he really can't use it as motivation.

"Now, if somebody from Wisconsin came out and said 'We're going to beat these guys by 24 points,' then maybe we'd use that," O'Brien said. "But certainly not Vegas."

Happy holiday

O'Brien said the plan this week for the players who won't be able to go home to celebrate Thanksgiving with their families will be just like it was last season.

The team will hold a practice on Thursday morning, then it will gather on campus for a Thanksgiving feast. With students away from campus this week, players gathered together on Monday night to see a movie as a team, too.

"I'm thankful for my family," O'Brien said. "I'm thankful for this football team, these players. I really am. I can't tell you enough how much I enjoy coaching these guys. I wish that some of these games had gone our way, but they didn't. It is what it is."

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com @psubst on Twitter

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